Product Preview: 2012-13 Upper Deck Artifacts

In just a couple of short months – and the hopes of no lockout – 2012-13 Artifacts Hockey is scheduled to hit the shelves.

The newest Upper Deck product comes with a number of low-numbered cards and memorabilia cards beyond jerseys.

Artifacts, which is scheduled for October, will yield 10 packs per box with four cards in each pack. Some of the highlights include a 25-card Team Canada subset and a 25-card goalies subset.

On average, one box should have one autograph or autographed memorabilia card, one multi-player game-used memorabilia card, two single-player game-used cards, one rookie redemption, two Rookie Cards, one parallel numbered to 99 or less and two of each of the subset cards.

In addition, at least one of the memorabilia cards in the box will have either a patch, stick, tag or strap.

Collectors may have noticed the “R” word with the Rookie Cards. But redemptions are placed in the product to ensure collectors get their favorite new rookies out. However, it may be more important this year than others if there is a shortened season due to a lockout by the NHL owners.

Rookies cannot appear in an NHL product until they have played in a game.

There are number of different jerseys and autograph subsets in Artifacts.

Dual or triple player cards will have autographs, memorabilia and sometimes even both:
・ Tandems or trio patches (numbered to 35 or 15)
・ Tandems or trio straps (numbered to 10 or 5)
・ Tandems or trio tags (1-of-1)

Susan Lulgjuraj is the editor of Beckett Hockey magazine. You can email Susan here with ideas, comments and questions. Follow her on Twitter here.